The nephew of movie mogul Tyler Perry has reportedly died while in prison.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that Gavin Porter, 26, died after allegedly hanging himself in his prison cell on Saturday evening in Farmerville, Louisiana, which is on the northern end of the state about five hours from New Orleans. However, the tragic news did not reach the mainstream media until Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020.
The News-Star and TMZ reported that Porter died after being moved to solitary confinement.
While Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates has confirmed that Porter has passed away, he has refused to respond to multiple media requests for further details. But Gates did tell The News-Star that Porter’s death came after he was involved in a fight with several inmates.
Gates added that Porter’s death and the fight are under investigation, according to The News-Star. At this time, no foul play is suspected, the newspaper added. However, the family does not believe there was no foul play, TMZ stated.
Porter, who was the son of Tyler Perry’s sister Melva, landed in prison after being convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of his father, Gary Wayne Porter, in front of his mother in October 2016. The violent episode happened following a father-son fight, WAFB reported at the time.
Porter pled no contest in 2017 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
